Registered nurses at HealthAlliance Hospital in Leominster, Mass., have voted to authorize a strike.
Here are four things to know about the vote.
1. In a vote Wednesday, the nurses, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, overwhelmingly approved a one-day strike.
2. Concerns over staffing levels and safe patient care led to the vote, according to the union.
3. The nurses said the vote follows 17 negotiation sessions, the first of which was held last May, as well as two informational pickets and the addition of a federal mediator to the negotiation table this spring.
4. The vote does not mean the nurses will strike immediately, according to the union. However, the vote does allow the nurses' negotiating committee authorization to call a one-day strike if and when they deem necessary.